Puerto Rico and Mexico Open Strong in Manzanillo

MANZANILLO, Colima, August 29, 2025.– Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas confirmed why they are the top favorites at the sixth stop of the NORCECA Tour by debuting with a victory in Manzanillo, Colima.

The Caribbean duo, who already have three gold medals this season, defeated Mexico’s Naomi Cruz and Angélica Torres 2–0 (21-15, 21-9). Meanwhile, locals Susana Torres and Atenas Gutiérrez, champions of the last stop in Paramaribo, Suriname, defended the home sand by topping El Salvador’s Karla Tovar and Keiry Guzmán 2–0 (21-10, 21-11).

In Pool A, Costa Rica also celebrated as Katherine Quesada and Aliza Aguilar secured a 2–0 win over Tovar and Guzmán (21-11, 21-18) to get their campaign off to a strong start.

Pool B had a Canadian touch thanks to Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic, who came out victorious in back-to-back matches. First, they edged Guatemala’s Natalia Girón and Estefanie Bethancourt in three sets (21-14, 19-21, 15-12) and later closed the day with a 2–0 win against Americans Amarie Bremel and Arika Johnson (21-17, 22-20).

In Pool C, their compatriots Darby Dunn and Mikayla Law-Heese defeated Cruz and Torres 2–0 (21-12, 30-27), before González and Navas sealed their winning debut against the same Mexican pair.

With these results, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica stood out as the main protagonists of the opening day, starting the group phase on the right foot. The competition will continue tomorrow, Saturday, in Manzanillo with decisive matches on the road to qualification.

RESULTS

Pool A: Quesada/Aguilar (CRC) 2–0  Tovar/GUZMAN (ESA) (21-11, 21-18); Torres/Gutiérrez (MEX1) 2-0 Tovar/GUZMAN (ESA) (21-10,21-11)

Pool B: Grewal/Pantovic (CAN1) 2-1 Girón/Bethancourt (GUA)  (21-14,19-21,15-12); Grewal/Pantovic (CAN1) 2-0 Bremel/Johnson (USA) (21-17, 22-20)

Pool C

Dunn/Law-Heese (CAN2) 2-0 Cruz/Torres (MEX2) (21-12,30-27); González/Navas (PUR) 2-0 Cruz/Torres (MEX2) (21-15/21-9)